Mr Crichton Goes to Washington
by DOKChairman
Summary: Here it is folks. Part Two of the Rystal Trilogy. It has been three monens since the beginning of the Peacekeeper-Scarren War. If they are to survive the war, John and his allies must decide the fate of the galaxy, Rotar, and Earth.
1. The Calm Before the Storm

Title: Mr. Crichton Goes to Washington

Author: DOKChairman

Time/Spoilers: This takes place three monens after the end of _Rystal_. 

Disclaimer: Farscape is the property of The Jim Henson Company, Rockne S. O'Bannon, the SCI-FI Channel (even though they don't deserve it), Hallmark Entertainment, and Nine Network Australia. The only thing that belongs to me is my original story and my original characters.

Author's Note: Alright everybody. Here it is, the long awaited, by me at least, continuation of my Rystal Trilogy. You must read Part 1 first, _Rystal_, or else things taking place in this story will make absolutely no sense. I dedicate this story to everyone who read and reviewed the first part, and who gave me such wonderful feedback and encouragement. Thank you very much.

  
  


Chapter 1: The Calm Before the Storm

  


The sound of flesh beating against flesh echoed loudly across the cavernous room. It was a sound all too familiar to John Crichton's ears, and he let out a sigh because of it. It seemed that he couldn't go a day without some form of violence muscling its way into his life. Just once, he would like to have a nice peaceful day. Without anyone trying to beat him, mind frell him, or just plain old kill him. The same went for his friends.

Fortunately, at least for the time being, he wasn't the one getting the dren kicked out of him. No, that honor belonged to the radiant Aeryn Sun and the equally stunning Juli Fallon. If John wasn't so tired and swamped with work, the thought of those two women getting all sweaty and worked up might have turned him on, but instead it just annoyed him. Did they have to spar all the time?

It seemed like any time he wanted to find the two women, his first stop was the training room aboard the command carrier _Kraylor_. Since coming aboard the carrier, Aeryn seemed like she was in the best shape of her life. Which was saying something because Aeryn already had an incredible body as far as John was concerned.

John finally rounded a corner and came face to face with one of the large sparring mats set aside for hand to hand combat training. On the mat were the two women he expected to see, both wearing their workout clothes. Which only served to depress John even more because both outfits left little to the imagination, at least his imagination, and yet John could still not make himself become interested. God he needed a vacation.

Once he found himself a decent vantage point, John leaned up against a wall and decided to watch the action for a little while. Both women were so into their sparring that they didn't even notice he had walked in. It really was an impressive sight.

John knew first hand how great a fighter Aeryn was, but he also knew that Juli was better. Or had been better he thought with surprise when he saw Aeryn surprise Juli with a lightning fast kick to her right side that doubled her over. Aeryn followed her kick up with a knee to the face that sent Juli reeling backwards. Aeryn then pressed her advantage, and before Juli could recover, swept her legs out from beneath her and pinned her to the ground with a knee to the throat.

Whoa! John was impressed. Maybe Aeryn training constantly wasn't a bad thing. Before they had started spending the majority of their time aboard the _Kraylor_, Aeryn would have never been able to beat Juli in a fight. Despite how good Aeryn was, Juli was an ex-Disruptor and they just weren't evenly matched. Now it seemed that wasn't the case.

John saw Aeryn slowly remove her knee from Juli's throat, and Juli brought her hand up to gingerly rub the spot. John saw Juli shoot Aeryn an impressed grin and Aeryn stuck her hand out to help Juli up. Juli took the hand and soon both women were standing, both trying to catch their breath after their intense match.

Since it seemed like there was a lull in the fighting, John figured it was as good a time as any to make his presence known.

John loudly cleared his throat and started walking towards them. John noticed with some amusement that both women jumped in surprise at his sudden presence. His smile was soon replaced with a frown though when he was close enough to talk. He had to remember that he was angry at one of them.

However, before John could even open his mouth, Juli started talking. "I know John, I know. I'm late."

John got angry. "Yer damn right your late. God, Juli. I've got enough dren as it is on my plate. I don't need you addin' to it as well." John then turned accusingly to Aeryn. "And you! You have to stop encouraging her. You're older. You're supposed to be a good influence on her."

Aeryn flashed John an unapologetic look of defiance and said, "I am a good influence. If it wasn't for me, Juli would never train. She's a soldier John, not a diplomat."

John's face reddened slightly at Aeryn's defiance. "Yeah, well I don't give a frell what she is supposed to be. Right now is what I care about, and right now she's supposed to be helping me with those idiot Council members."

Juli stepped in between the two before their argument could escalate into a fight. Juli attempted to appease John, "I'm sorry John. I know how busy you are and I promise to make this up to you. I just forgot what time it was."

John attempted to stare down Aeryn, but as usual she wasn't backing down. Frell it! John said gruffly, "Whatever Juli, I don't care. Take all the time you want."

John then turned around and stalked away. As soon as he turned the corner and was out of sight he slowed down. He felt like such a child. Storming away from that fight like he had. But god damnit, their carefree attitude was just making his life more miserable.

John hung his head as he walked to the exit of the training room. He was just so tired. It had been monens since he had had a full nights sleep. Not since the Peacekeeper-Scarren war had begun, had John had more than six arns. There was just too much to do. And unfortunately, the things that needed to be done were things only he could do.

Almost overnight, he had become responsible for the lives of over a billion people. As if that wasn't bad enough, the knowledge that he was finally beginning to truly understand wormholes weighed heavily on his mind. It wasn't until he began to understand the raw power behind wormhole tech that he finally understood why Scorpious had been so interested in it. With the power of wormholes, he could easily alter the fate of the universe. That thought more than anything unsettled him.

Nobody should have that much power and John felt uncomfortable knowing he possessed it. The only bright spot to the whole wormhole mess was that if he wanted to, he could probably figure out a way to get back to Earth. That was something he had been considering for a long time.

As much as he had gotten used to the Uncharted Territories, and more specifically Moya, there were still large parts of him that missed home. At least once before he died, he would like to visit Earth and let his family know what had happened to him. However, he knew that if he was ever going to visit Earth he had to do it sooner than later.

As much as he didn't like to think about it, his father was not a young man. Life without his wife had not been easy on Jack Crichton, but his pain had been tempered by the fact that he still had his children. John knew, however, that it was more than likely his father thought he was dead, and John was afraid of what that would do to his father. He worried that his father's health may have suffered due to having to go through so much pain. Jack was a strong man, possibly the strongest John had ever met, but even he would have difficulty handling two devastatating losses in such a relatively short time. John was afraid that if he waited too long, his father may be dead before he ever made it back. That was something he desperately didn't want to happen.

Unfortunately, things on Rotar were not going as smoothly as he had hoped. It had been three monens since Rotar ridded itself of its Peacekeeper presence and things were still in disarray. 

The planet had started to rebuild, starting with the major cities. John knew that it would take monens, possibly even cycles to repair even half the damage the war had caused, but they had to get started somewhere. 

John walked through the door of the training room and started his way down one of the carrier's long passageway. As his head was still down, he was walking aimlessly down the halls. Occasionally, he would pass someone in the passageway, but he never acknowledged them. They simply did the smart thing and stayed out of his way.

After a few hundred microts, John suddenly stopped and looked up to get a bearing on his surroundings. He had been so preoccupied with his thoughts that he had no idea where he was. The _Kraylor_ was a very large ship, bigger than any ship John had ever been on, and it was easy to get lost on it if one wasn't paying attention to where they were going.

Frell! John was going to need directions if he was ever going to make it to the Council meeting in time. For once thankful that the _Kraylor_ had a full crew, even though they were all ex-Peacekeepers, John knew he wouldn't have to look very hard to find someone who could tell him where to go.

John knew that he should have memorized the basic plan of the ship by now, but he just hadn't had the time. Besides, it had taken John monens before he had learned where everything was on Moya, and the _Kraylor_ was almost twice Moya's size.

After about thirty microts of walking down the passageway, John came upon a tech working on what looked like a bundle of wires and components. John walked up to the Sebacean man sheepishly and said embarrassedly, "Hey there! Do ya think ya can tell me how to get to Deck Velka 3? I seem to have lost my way"

The man looked up in surprise at John and said quickly, "Um...yes sir. If you go down this passageway for about 100 microts, you should come across a lift that will take you to where you want to go." When the man was finished he quickly turned back to his work. It was obvious that he thought the conversation was over.

John sighed at the man's display. It annoyed him how people viewed him on the ship. It was even worse down on the planet. It wasn't that the tech was trying to ignore him, it was just the opposite. The tech was so awed by the presence of the great John Crichton that he was too afraid to actually join John in conversation. John snorted to himself. The great John Crichton! What a joke. The only thing that kept him from going insane from all the hero worship was that nobody from Moya viewed him like everyone else did. Despite all he had done in the last three monens, they still looked at him like he was the hapless human that had accidentally been shot through a wormhole. Granted, how they viewed him was nowhere near as bad as it had been his first cycle, but that opinion still existed in the minds of his crew mates.

Well, John had had enough. He was going to get this tech to talk to him if it was the last thing he did. John moved closer to the man who was pointedly concentrating on his work, and leaned over his shoulder to see what he was doing. He would make himself such a nuisance that the tech would have to say something.

"What ya doing?" John asked the man curiously.

To John's surprise the tech actually looked annoyed with him. Maybe everyone wasn't as impressed with him as he thought. This could get interesting.

The man looked at John out of the corner of his eye as he continued working. "I'm repairing a faulty wire in the navigational system. Sir."

John studied what the man was doing. It was good work, the man obviously knew what he was doing. John didn't think he could do any better. John leaned back and flashed a grin at the man's back. "Cool. That's some good work. Reminds me of myself and some of my poor boy chores back on Moya."

The man stopped working and looked at John in surprise. He leaned back until he was sitting on his haunches and placed the tool he was using down on the ground. When he spoke, he did so with wonder in his voice. "You did tech work? On a leviathan?"

John grinned. "You bet. You don't think I've always been such a hotshot do you? A man's got to start somewhere." John turned his voice into a whisper and he moved closer to the man. "Don't tell anyone I said this, but without me, Moya would have fallen apart a long time ago." John leaned back and schooled his face into a look of subdued pride. Ok, maybe he was stretching the truth a little bit, but he had contributed to Moya's continued existence on a number of occasions.

The man actually smiled at John and said, "I've always wanted to be assigned to a leviathan. They are so much more fascinating than a mechanoid ship. You know what I mean?"

John nodded his head. "I know. I almost suffered a coronary when I first realized I was walking around inside a living ship. I've seen some really bad stuff out here, but Moya is one of the few good things I've managed to come across."

Both men grew silent in quiet contemplation. John's eyes suddenly lit up and he got a pleased smile on his face. "Hey. I bet I could get you onto Moya. Hell, I've been meaning to visit her for a while now. I could give you a tour myself. What do you say?"

The man's face immediately lit up in pleasure, but it quickly became subdued. "I'm sorry sir, but I can't. My duties preclude me from leaving the ship at any time. Besides, my duty shift doesn't end for another five arns."

John waved his hand dismissively. What was the point in being the boss if he couldn't exploit his power every once in a while? "Are you forgetting who's in charge here? I think I can persuade your captain to let you leave the ship."

The man still wasn't convinced. Damn Peacekeeper sense of duty was still trying to hold him back, John thought disdainly. It was too bad that sense of duty didn't apply to former disruptors who were suppose to show up for meetings on time. 

"Look. I promise you won't get in trouble and this may be your only chance to see a leviathan up close and personal. Trust me."

That seemed to end the debate in the man's mind and he nodded his head in acquiesce. John smiled his boyish grin and said eagerly, "Great! We'll leave right now." 

John faltered for a second when he remembered that he was supposed to be meeting with the Rotarian High Council right about now, but he simply pushed that thought to the side. It was about damn time he did something for himself, and visiting Moya was just the thing he needed to take his mind off his troubles for a little while. He didn't care if he was blowing the Council off. He needed this.

Besides, an irrational part of his brain reasoned, if Juli could blow off the meeting, then so could he. Never mind that it was hypocritical of him to do so, especially after scolding Juli for not sticking to her responsibilities. As boss, it was his prerogative.

John's mind was brought back to the present when the tech protested, "But sir, I thought you had to be somewhere?"

John just shrugged his shoulders. "Nah. It can wait. Oh, and please call me John. I hate being called sir."

The tech looked uncomfortable at addressing John as John but he nodded his head in acceptance. He then said, "My name is Norrsk Fir."

John grinned and stuck out his hand. Norrsk stared at the hand hesitantly and then grasped John's hand in a firm grip. John shook his hand and said, "Nice to meet ya Norrsk Fir." John then moved to Norrsk's side and placed his arm around his shoulders. "I think you and I are going to get along great."

  


Juli picked her towel up off the floor of the training room and began to wipe the sweat off of her body. As she did so she asked the woman next to her, who was also drying herself off, if they had really frelled up.

Aeryn shrugged her shoulders and said pensively, "Maybe. He seemed really mad when he left. Maybe I shouldn't have said what I did."

Juli got contemplative. "You know he's right don't you? We have been spending too much time in here and I've been neglecting my duties lately. This training has been great for both of us but I think we should stop doing it so often. John really does need my help."

Aeryn frowned. "I know. He can just be so infuriating sometimes."

Juli laughed. "I know what you mean. Sometimes you can't decide whether or not you want to kill him or frell him."

Aeryn laughed uncomfortably and started to wipe her face. Juli, meanwhile, continued talking, "Speaking of frelling, I think you should know that John and the good captain have been spending a lot of time together lately." Juli tried to gauge Aeryn's reaction to her words, but other than a tightening of her jaw, Aeryn did not let anything slip. "I don't know if they're frelling, but John has been seen leaving her quarters late in the sleep cycle at least three times in the last weeken."

Aeryn wrapped her towel around her shoulders and fixed Juli with a glare. "Why are you telling me this?"

Juli shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Just felt like you deserved to know."

Harshly, Aeryn said, "Well I don't want to know. John can do whatever he wants in his personal life. He doesn't owe me any explanations and it's none of my business."

"I know, I know. I just thought you would want to be completely informed if you decided to ever make it your business." Juli tried to calm Aeryn down. She should have known better than to bring up John being involved with another woman. She knew how she felt about the idea and she could only imagine what Aeryn was feeling.

Aeryn turned around and started to walk towards the exit. "I appreciate your concern Juli, but its not necessary. John and I have an...understanding. After what I did to him, I still don't think he trusts me and until he does, we can never form a relationship. You should just let it be."

When Aeryn reached the end of the sparring mat she turned back around and waited for Juli to catch up to her. Juli jogged towards her and they started walking toward the exit together. "You know Juli, John would not be very happy if he knew you were following him."

Juli grinned and said, "Well, as John likes to say, what he doesn't know won't hurt him. Its my job to know where John is at all times. And its not like I follow him around personally, I have one of the security people do it. Someone he doesn't even know, that way he'll never suspect he's being watched."

Aeryn laughed conspiratorially. She was about to say something when Juli's comm bleeped. Juli responded immediately, "Yes?"

The voice of the _Kraylor'_s captain, Lorana Verity, came over the comm. "Juli, do you know where John is?"

"He should be at the Council meeting. He's not there?" Juli asked.

"No he's not, and the Council is not happy. I've been looking form him for the last quarter arn, but nobody seems to know where he is." Both Juli and Aeryn could hear the worry in Lorana's voice and it made them both angry. Neither of them liked how close John and the captain seemed to be getting.

"We just saw him a little over a quarter arn ago. He said he was going to the meeting. Have you contacted security?"

"Of course I have. Besides, as head of security, aren't you suppose to know where John is? I thought you always have someone following him?" Lorana asked scornfully. 

Surprise appeared on Juli's face. She didn't know that Lorana knew what was going on. It shouldn't have surprised her though. Lorana was the captain of the ship after all, and she wouldn't be a good captain if she didn't know what was going on aboard her own ship. And Lorana was a very good captain.

Juli responded tightly to Lorana's accusation, "Like I said, I thought he was going to the meeting. Are Vorel and Graf missing as well?"

Lorana hesitated before answering, "I don't know. Let me check." There was a long pause before Lorana's voice came back on the comm. When she did, there was noticeable relief in her voice. "You were right, they're gone as well."

Juli nodded her head even though Lorana could not see her do it. It was something she had picked up from John. "There you go then. As long as Vorel and Graf are gone, I don't think there's anything to worry about. John probably just decided to go-what's the word I'm looking for here?"

Aeryn answered her. "Cruising. John likes to go cruising when he gets stressed."

"Thanks. Like I was saying Lorana, John probably decided to go cruising." Juli made sure she pronounced the unfamiliar word the correct way.

"But what about the meeting? The Council will not be happy that he's gone."

"Don't worry about the Council. I'll handle them." Juli jumped on the chance to help make up for her earlier irresponsibility.

Lorana was unsure. "Are you sure that's wise? They may see it as an insult if only you show up."

"I said don't worry about it Lorana. I know how to handle the Council." Juli said forcefully.

"All right. I'll comm the Council and tell them you're on your way. And make sure you find out where John is. Its not good for him to be out of contact for this long." Lorana ordered.

Despite the fact that Juli was not under her command, Juli felt herself acknowledging the command she had been given. Sometimes it was hard to override her Peacekeeper upbringing.

A beep emanated from the comm, signifying that Lorana had signed off, and Juli turned to face Aeryn. With a self suffering groan, Juli said, "Next time we see John, remind me to kick his eema for leaving the ship without telling me. He should know by now how much that pisses me off."

Aeryn laughed sharply. "If you think that John is going to stop doing something just because it annoys you, you've got another thing coming. The day John Crichton stops being unpredictable is the day I become a Delvian priest."

Juli sighed. "I can hope though can't I?"

Aeryn shrugged her shoulders. "No reason not too, although it probably won't do you any good. But as John likes to say, all we have is hope. I hope that someday John will finally trust me again. Unfortunately, I don't know if that day will ever happen."

  


The transport pod landed gently in Moya's cavernous hangar bay, and John turned to the man next to him and flashed him a grin. "She's gonna blow your socks off man. I hope you're ready."

Norrsk Fir could only nod his head; he was too nervous to do anything else. He was about to live out his dream. For many cycles, he had tried to transfer to the bio-mechanoid division of Peacekeeper Tech, but every single time he was denied. The common excuse, he thought bitterly, was that he was too good a tech to be wasted on a purely scientific endeavor. He had been trained to serve on a warship, and serve on a warship was what he would do.

He wasn't fortunate enough to have connections in the Peacekeeper hierarchy like some techs he knew. Those techs could get reassigned anywhere in the fleet, no matter what their training specified. And he wasn't smart or qualified enough, despite his training and impeccable service record, to be assigned to the special operations branch of Peacekeeper Tech. He was stuck where he was at.

He had hoped when Admiral Bach and the ship had broken away from the Peacekeepers that he would no longer be confined to a single area of study, but just like before, all his requests to be transferred had been refused. Things were too busy they would say. Transferring critical personnel away from their duty stations to less important sections was simply a misuse of resources. Which was something the ship couldn't afford.

But when John Crichton himself had asked him to come along with him to visit the leviathan Moya, Norrsk had finally seen an opportunity. If it hadn't been for his constant disappointment at seeing his hopes dashed, and if it hadn't been for his sense of duty to the ship and his training, he would have jumped on the opportunity to leave with the human as soon as he had opened him mouth. Instead, he had protested and tried to refuse.

He just praised whatever deity was out there that John Crichton was more stubborn than he was. He was still amazed by the fact that he was in a transport pod with the leader of the rebellion sitting right next to him, and that he was about to set foot on a real leviathan. He was finally accomplishing his one and only goal.

John could see the nervousness written plainly on the skittish tech's face and he smiled sympathetically. "Hey, relax. It may seem like a bit much at first, but after a few microts you'll get used to her. Moya's a big sweetheart."

John then turned his head to look at the two men sitting behind him. "You guys alright back there? You've been quieter than usual."

The two men in question, Vorel and Graf, both shrugged their shoulders in tandem. John smiled inwardly at that. It seemed some of his human gestures were starting to rub off on them. Because Graf could not talk, Vorel responded to John's question. "We saw how much you were enjoying yourself and did not want to disturb you."

John snorted. "Since when has that ever stopped you before?"

Vorel smiled a toothy smile. "Well, since Juli didn't tell us to keep you out of trouble, we've decided to let you do whatever you want on this trip. Besides, we plan to get all our enjoyment we normally get at watching you squirm when Juli finds out you left the ship without telling her."

John swore. "Damn, I knew I forgot something."

Norrsk turned to John worriedly. "You didn't tell anyone you were leaving? That means they'll think I deserted my duty station!" Norrsk was getting a little bent out of shape.

John shot a death glare at Vorel and tried to reassure Norrsk that everything was going to be all right. "Don't worry! I told you already that you won't get in trouble. Just relax."

Norrsk stopped panicking and John got out of his seat. "We better get this over with before he blows a gasket and messes himself all over the floor."

Norrsk didn't fully understand exactly what John had said, but he got the gist of the insult. He let out a cry of indignation, "Hey! Your not the one who'll get spaced for deserting your station. I am. So back the frell off!" 

John stared at Norrsk in shock and then started laughing. "Oh man, if you could see your face. I was starting to worry if I had made a mistake in bringing you with me, but now I know I didn't. You scared me there for a few microts though."

Norrsk stared at John. "You are very strange, sir."

John laughed and made his way to the exit. "Don't I know it."

John then went through the exit and down the stairs, Vorel and Graf right behind him. To John's pleasant surprise, D'argo and Chiana were waiting for him. John grinned widely and swaggered up to the pair.

"Big guy! Pip! How you guys doing?"

D'argo grinned and Chiana gave John a hug. D'argo greeted John in his gruff voice, "John its good to see you."

Chiana chimed in, "Yeah old man. Why didn't you tell us you were coming John? We could have set up a party."

John blushed and said, "Well, you see, I kind of snuck out. Nobody knows I'm here."

A disapproving look appeared on D'argo's face. "I don't think Aeryn will be very happy about that."

"Yeah well, I don't care. I needed a break and Moya was the only place I could think of where I could relax without somebody asking me to do something every five microts. Besides, I promised my new friend Norrsk here to give him a personal tour of Moya." John dragged Norrsk closer to present him to the two.

Norrsk nervously looked over the two aliens and he shifted uncomfortably. It was the first time he had ever been so close to a Luxan before. The Nebari didn't intimidate him very much, although she did move strangely. Plus, he thought she was very attractive, for an alien that is.

"Uh...hi" Norrsk said quietly.

Chiana purred and moved closer to the tech. After looking him over she turned to John and said, "He's cute. Where'd you find him?"

Norrsk blushed at Chiana's compliment. John, meanwhile, just shrugged his shoulders and said, "I don't know. I was just taking a leisurely stroll when I happened to walk by him working on one of the ship's systems. We got to talkin, he told me he'd always wanted to see a leviathan, and I decided to take him on a trip to Moya. Purely spur of the moment decision."

Chiana focused back on Norrsk. "Oooo, a tech. I like smart men."

D'argo chuckled and said, "Chiana, you like all men."

Chiana just grinned in response and after seeing how uncomfortable she was making the Sebacean, moved away and resumed her spot standing next to D'argo.

"Where's everyone else?" John asked curiously. Since the end of the rebellion on Rotar, Moya had taken in quite a few new crew members. Some to make up for the absence of John, Aeryn, and Rygel, others to simply flesh out the crew.

Jayn Fyy, the former Peacekeeper commando, and if the rumors John heard were true, D'argo's new lover, had moved onto Moya to become her new doctor. Since Zhaan's absence, Moya had been without a properly trained diagnosan for some time, and Jayn was more than happy to settle on Moya and start a new life. A number of techs had been assigned as maintenance personnel as well. Even two former Prowler pilots had wanted to live on Moya, along with their Prowlers.

Of course, most of the former crew still lived on Moya as well. D'argo, Chiana, Stark, and Jool all still lived on Moya. Technically, John, Aeryn, and Rygel still lived there as well, but they had been spending so much time on the _Kraylor_ that they hardly ever spent anytime on Moya.

D'argo responded vaguely to John's question, "Oh they're around somewhere. We only found out you were coming a hundred microts before you landed."

"I guess I'll just have to make sure I say hi to everyone before I leave." John then stopped and turned to Norrsk. "All right, its time to start the tour. First stop, Pilot."

  
  


Juli left the conference room exhausted and physically drained. It had taken her two arns, but she had finally gotten the Council to calm down and listen to what she had to say. If she wasn't doing this to make up to John, she would have probably taken out her pulse pistol and killed every single one of the whiny, overbearing, and power hungry drannits. No, as enjoyable as killing them all would have been, she knew she couldn't do it. For one thing, the mess would have been a bitch to clean up.

Juli sighed and started walking the long way to her quarters. She was actually going to go to bed early for once. She had others things to do, like make sure John got safely back from his trip to Moya and debrief him on the meeting she had just left, but she was just too tired to care. 

She had found out just before she had started the Council meeting that John was in fact on Moya. She had thought that was where he had gone, so that was the first place she checked. She made sure she gave Vorel and Graf their instructions and then she had decided to let John have his fun. She could yell at him when he came back on board later.

With visions of her bed dancing in front of her eyes, Juli hastened her pace to her quarters. Halfway there her comm beeped. Juli froze in mid stride and stared evilly at the small device. For the longest time she just stared at it, hoping it would just disappear and never bother her again. Unfortunately, it did nothing of the sort.

Sighing loudly in resignation, Juli activated her comm. The captain's voice assaulted her ears, dashing all hopes she had of an early night. "Juli, I need you to come to the operations room immediately. Its an emergency."

An emergency? Her first panicked thought went immediately to John, but she knew it was doubtful he could be the cause. Moya was only a few thousand metras away. Any threat to her would also be a threat to the _Kraylor_, and as far as she knew, the ship was not on combat alert.

Juli responded, "I'll be there in thirty microts Lorana."

Juli didn't wait for Lorana's acknowledgment and took off running towards the nearest lift. After about ten microts she reached one of the special command level lifts, and it quickly took off in the direction of the operations room. As she was waiting, Juli tried to think of anything that could warrant an emergency meeting. The only thing she could think of was that it had to do with the war.

In the three monens since the start of the Peacekeeper-Scarren war, things had been relatively quiet. Admiral Bach and the Peacekeeper fleet he had led had destroyed most of the Scarren invasion fleet that was poised to conquer the sector. Juli knew that it would take them some time to replenish their forces, but it had taken everyone by surprise that it had taken them this long. Juli was starting to believe that the delay was deliberate and that the Scarrens were waiting for something. What that thing they were waiting for was, was something everyone wanted to know.

The lift came to a stop and Juli burst out of the lift and into the passageway. It only took her a few microts more to run the remaining distance to the operations room. Juli entered her authorization code into the door's lock, and when it accepted her code, she walked in.

To her surprise, it looked like she was the last to arrive. Overlooking a large table-like vid screen of the Rotarian sector and its surrounding systems, were the twelve Primes of the Rystalva, Toben, Aeryn, Lorana, and Dominar Rygel XVI.

Lorana looked up from studying the vid screen and Juli could see a serious look on her face. "Juli, good, you're here. I have some bad news. Intelligence reports have just come in from our contacts in the Special Directorate that the Scarrens are finally on the move. A Scarren attack fleet hit the Peacekeeper sector headquarters on Granilet IV about two arns ago. The Peacekeeper defenses held, but our analysis suggests it is only a matter of time before the base is overrun. Tactical suggests no more than a solar day."

Lorana then paused and turned her head to look at Lieutenant Vin, the Kraylor's tactical officer, and his staff who were nestled off in a corner of the large room. They were frantically punching information into their data screens. "Lieutenant, the border please."

Juli looked down and the holo image on the vid screen changed to show a map of the Rotarian-Scarren border. Lorana resumed her briefing, "Unfortunately, the news gets worse. Our lookout posts along the border have reported an increase in Scarren activity. According to reports, at least six dreadnoughts have been deployed in the last arn."

Toben, a large Rotarian and the Rystalva's second in command, interrupted Lorana's briefing with a question. "Do we know if the Scarrens plan to invade?"

Lorana shook her head. "No sir. So far the Scarrens are just sitting there."

Aeryn added, "They must know how weak our defenses are."

"Agreed. Either the Scarrens do not intend to invade this system or else they are waiting for something. What that is, we don't know yet." Lorana reported.

Juli asked a question of her own, "Perhaps they are trying to bait us? Make us attack them like your father did."

Lorana said skeptically, "It's possible, but doubtfull. As Officer Sun pointed out, they must know that Rotar has very little in defensive capabilities. The _Kraylor_ could handle two, maybe three dreadnoughts, but in no way can it stand up against a full invasion fleet. If they wanted to, there would be very little we could do to stop them from invading."

Juli felt a hollow pit form in her stomach. This was what they had all been dreading for the last three monens. That the Scarrens would finally decide to attack the sector and conquer Rotar. Rotar and its extensive space ports were essential to maintaining any fleet in the Uncharted Territories. Frell, Rotar was the only system in two sectors that even had a space port. The Scarrens would not be able to maintain their hold on any conquered territory without Rotar.

Juli's eyes suddenly widened as a thought came to her. "Does John know about any of this yet?"

Lorana shook her head and said, "No. We've tried to comm Moya multiple times in the last quarter arn but we have been unable to get a response. Before you came in, I was about to send out a Marauder team to bring him back."

Toben, speaking in his deep voice, added, "A good idea. John must know what's going on. Send out the team and bring him in now. We can't afford to waste any time."

Juli was about to volunteer to go get John when Aeryn beat her to it. "You guys don't need me right now. I'll take a transport pod and go fetch John. I'll be back in half an arn."

Aeryn then left without waiting for a confirmation of her plan. Juli felt a small smile form when she saw Lorana's reaction to Aeryn's sudden departure. The frown quickly left the captain's face and she focused back on the map.

Now that the debriefing was over, Toben assumed control of the meeting. Effectively in charge until John was found, Toben began issuing orders. He first spoke to Lorana. "I want the _Kraylor_ placed on combat alert, and I want rotating Prowler patrols every arn. I want to know the microt those dreadnoughts cross the border. Oh and see if you can comm Captain Crais. The last I heard he was in this sector and any help he could provide would be of great assistance."

Lorana accepted her orders and immediately walked over to talk quietly to her tactical officer. Toben then focused his attention on the twelve Primes of the Rystalva. "Prepare your units for an invasion. If the Scarrens do attack, our ground forces will be the only hope we have of actually defeating them. I realize that against Scarrens there is little that we can do, but every bit helps."

Toben then focused his attention on the diminutive Dominar. "As for you Dominar, as distasteful as the thought is, I want you to begin thinking of ways to solve this matter diplomatically. If we can avoid an invasion through diplomacy, then you are our best chance."

Juli laughed slightly when the Hynerian drew himself up to his full height. Disdainfully he said, "Deal with Scarrens? Are you farbot? There is no dealing with those monsters, but I will do my best. Personally, I think we should leave orbit immediately. But that's just me."

Toben just ignored Rygel and moved to talk more in-depth with the primes. Juli moved up to the floating former Dominar and mock admonished him. "Now Rygel, that's not a very brave sentiment."

Rygel snorted and said in his usual pragmatic tone. "Bravery is for the man too stupid to realize he has already lost and that the best corse of action is too retreat. As you well know, I am not stupid."

Juli decided to use one of John's favorite nicknames for Rygel. "Oh I know you're not Sparky." She then rubbed his head between his ears and walked away, laughing at Rygel's protests at being touched by a filthy Sebacean.

  
  


"...and this is the most important part of Moya: the central chamber. Where one can find an assortment of fine cuisine from a number of exotic worlds." John then stuck his head into the refrigeration unit and pulled out a tray of food cubes. "Oooo, look. Brown food cubes. Oh and it must be our lucky day, because can you believe it, orange food cubes as well."

John grinned at D'argo and said sarcastically, "And to think that I'm stuck eating real food on the _Kraylor_. You guys are so spoiled."

Chiana said hopefully, "Well, if your tired of the food, you can always come back to Moya."

"I'd like to Chi, really I would, but I have too much to do and I just can't do the stuff I need to do on Moya. Besides, I don't think Moya, you guys, or Pilot would appreciate a few hundred Peacekeepers traipsing through the ship."

Vorel interrupted. "Ex-Peacekeepers John."

John nodded his head absentmindedly. "Uh, yeah. Whatever."

Pilot's face suddenly appeared on the clamshell in the central chamber. He looked agitated and worried. "Commander Crichton, a transport pod is approaching from _the Kraylor_."

John sighed. "I'm surprised it took them this long to come and get me. I swear, they keep me on a shorter leash than a dog." John then directed a question at Pilot, "Are they comming us Pilot?"

"I don't know. As you know, Moya has been experiencing problems with her comms ever since Tech Fir accidentally pulled out one of Moya's comm relays."

John noticed out of the corner of his eye, Norrsk blushing furiously and trying to draw as little attention to himself as possible. John felt for him. He had made a few mistakes when he had first come aboard Moya. And it had been an honest mistake.

In reality, it was probably more his fault than Norrsk's. He had been showing off one of Moya's systems, when Chiana had distracted him. Norrsk had asked him a question about the comm system, and instead of giving him his full attention, he had only made a half heartened attempt to tell Norrsk what he wanted to know. The result being, Norrsk had accidentally fiddled with the wrong set of wires. 

Thankfully, neither Moya or Pilot held what happened against Norrsk. John had tried fixing the problem, but it was more a job for the DRD's then a human, so John had left the problem for Pilot to solve. Pilot had assured him that the problem would be fixed soon, but it had been an arn since the incident and the comm was still on the fritz. John was seriously contemplating taking a second look at the thing, but if someone was coming to get him, it didn't look like he was going to get much of a chance.

John turned back to look at Pilot. "All right Pilot. Have the transport pod land in the hangar bay. I'll leave right now to meet them. They're probably here for me anyway."

"Of course Commander Crichton. Deploying the docking web now."

Pilot then signed off and John turned to face the others. He said sadly, "I wish I didn't have to, but it looks like its time for me to leave. You guys wanna come with me to the hangar bay?"

D'argo responded gruffly, "Of course John."

John and the others all left the central chamber and started the trek toward the hangar bay. As they walked, John positioned himself so that he was next to Norrsk. Placing a comforting hand on the man's shoulder, John tried to convince him that what had happened earlier wasn't his fault. "I know that this probably wasn't how you pictured this turning out, but what happened wasn't your fault. If anything, its my fault. You asked me a question and I was too distracted to give you the right answer."

Norrsk looked at him with a pained look on his face. "You might have been distracted, but I was the one who pulled the wires. I should know the difference between a comm relay and a temperature relay. I suppose this just proves what my superiors have been saying. That I'm just not suited for a bio-mechanoid."

John was having none of that. "Didn't I just tell you that what happened wasn't your fault? I'm one of your superiors too and I'm telling you I think you're perfect for tech work on a leviathan. How many other techs do you know who would be so worried about frelling up as much as you are? I know that you aren't worried because you're afraid of being reprimanded, but because you're worried that you hurt Moya. That proves right there you're perfect for the job."

Norrsk still didn't seem convinced but he did drop the subject. Which was good because they had just reached the hangar bay. To John's surprise, Aeryn was waiting for them.

John immediately asked, "What's up Aeryn?"

Aeryn responded quickly, "It's the Scarrens John. They launched an attack against the Peacekeepers at Granilet IV three arns ago."

All the color drained out of John's face. Shakingly he asked, "How bad?"

Aeryn responded in her clipped tone, "Bad. Lorana doesn't think the base will last longer than a solar day. And John, the Scarrens are massing on the border."

John started to feel hopeless but he quickly squashed that emotion. That was something he couldn't afford to feel. There were too many people depending on him. "All right. I'm guessing that you're here to take me back." Aeryn nodded her head in confirmation. "Ok, then lets go. I assume that Toben and Lorana have already started making preparations?"

"Yes John. The _Kraylor_ has moved to combat alert status and Toben has ordered the Rystalva to ready themselves for an invasion." Aeryn answered succinctly.

John sighed sadly. "I was hoping this would never happen, but it looks like war has finally come."

  
  
  


Next time on Farscape: John suffers a nightmare involving his father, the Scarrens attack more Peacekeeper bases, and John must decide whether or not he should visit Earth.


	2. Dream a Little Dream

Title: Mr. Crichton Goes to Washington

Author: DOKChairman

Time/Spoilers: This takes place three monens after the end of _Rystal_. 

Disclaimer: Farscape is the property of The Jim Henson Company, Rockne S. O'Bannon, the SCI-FI Channel (even though they don't deserve it), Hallmark Entertainment, and Nine Network Australia. The only thing that belongs to me is my original story and my original characters.

Author's Note: Thanks for the encouraging feedback. I too think this story has the potential to be better than _Rystal_. I just hope I can deliver. 

Author's Note #2: It should be known that the idea for this story came long before the new episodes for Farscape started airing. I originally envisioned the plot for this story way back when I was still writing _Rystal_, long before any spoilers, news, or any other sources said that John would be going back to Earth. Any similarities between this story and the current story on the show are merely coincidences. I swear. 

  


Chapter 2: Dream a Little Dream

  


Takes place two solar days after the events in _The Calm Before the Storm_:

  


Warmaster K'rilla Ta'vor leaned forward to better admire the utter devastation his battle group had wreaked on the Peacekeeper fleet protecting the small observation post on the third moon of the planet Draylor. Ta'vor growled low in his throat and transformed is reptilian like mouth into a macabre smile. Three heavy assault cruisers was all the resistance the Peacekeepers could provide.

It was pathetic really. The once mighty Peacekeepers could not even adequately defend their own installations. If Ta'vor was as concerned with glory as some of his fellow comrades, he would have been insulted by the Peacekeepers' display. To think that he, Warmaster K'rilla Ta'vor, the warrior chosen personally by the Scarren Clans to lead the fight against the Peacekeepers, only warranted three cruisers was an insult to him, to his family, and to the Scarren Empire. The Peacekeepers should have arrayed an entire battle fleet against him. That would have been a worthy adversary for someone of his status.

He would have utterly destroyed them of course, but at least then, it would have been a victory he could glorify in. Instead, the field of debris floating in front of his dreadnought had been nothing but an annoyance. A necessary annoyance to be sure, but an annoyance nonetheless. Once the observation post was destroyed, the Peacekeepers would have a blind spot covering over 1 million metras of the Rotarian Sector. The Scarrens would have free reign to move ships, troops, and supplies into Peacekeeper controlled space. 

It really was an important strategic victory, but it did little to sate Ta'vor's bloodlust. He may not be as vain as most Scarren warmasters, but he had the same desires. The thrill of victory and the knowledge he had furthered the cause of the Scarren race were the motivations all Scarrens ascribed too.

Ta'vor let out one last growl of satisfaction and turned away from the viewing window. Unfolding his large body, Ta'vor stood up from his command chair and walked over to the weapons and tactical station of his bridge. 

A rather young Scarren Leftic, Ta'vor knew he had served in only two battle campaigns, was currently in command of the station. He was young, but he was descended from a well respected clan and had great potential.

In his low, lisping voice, Ta'vor barked out, "Status?"

The Leftic lowered his head in the proper gesture of respect and said in a deferential tone, "The weapons are fully charged and await your command to fire Warmaster."

"Good. Target their primary facility and fire all krellin cannons," Ta'vor ordered.

The young Scarren nodded his head perfunctorily, and turned back to bark out orders to the five Scarrens under his command. Ta'vor turned back to face the viewing window and saw the slightly orange tinted moon float into view.

A small whine suddenly sounded, and the deck of the dreadnought vibrated softly. Ta'vor bared his large teeth as he saw ten arcs of deadly pulse fire head directly for the surface of the moon. Ten microts later, Ta'vor growled satisfactorily at the resulting explosion. The main facility of the Peacekeeper observation post was gone. 

Ta'vor walked back to his command chair, feeling the ship vibrate again. Ten more fiery streaks could be seen heading down to the moon. Ten microts later, Ta'vor could see several smaller explosions dot the surface of the orange moon. Ta'vor exhaled loudly, in the Scarren version of a sigh, and sat back down. It was all too easy.

  
  


John sat down heavily in one of the few chairs placed sparsely around the _Kraylor's_ operations room and wearily rubbed his eyes. He had been up for two days straight, and it looked like he was about to extend that streak to three. If not for the occasional trip to the galley or to the bathroom, John would have never left the operations room in the last two days..

There was simply too much to do. Forces had to be activated and coordinated, data needed to be analyzed, and decisions needed to be made. To sleep would waste time Rotar didn't have. It would waste time John didn't have.

It would be nice though, John had no trouble admitting, to just catch a few winks. To just close his eyes, even if it was only for a quarter of an arn. And before John knew it, he did just that.

  
  


John felt someone gently nudge his shoulders, and he jerked awake violently. Through the haze of waking up, John saw Aeryn leap back in surprise. She tried to hold back a laugh, but she only succeeded for about two microts. To John's displeasure, Aeryn laughed heartily at his reaction.

Aeryn teased him, "Do all humans wake up like that? Or is that just a John Crichton thing?"

John frowned and said, "Ha ha ha, let's laugh at the poor, sleep deprived Earthling." John then stood up and stretched the kinks out of his sore muscles. It had not been smart falling asleep in that chair. "Let's see how you like it when you have to go without sleep for a few days."

Aeryn grinned and said, "I used to be a Peacekeeper John. We're trained to go without sleep for days without it affecting us."

John frowned in response. Somewhat bitterly he said, "Yeah, well us deficient humans need sleep to function properly. Speaking of which, why the frell did you wake me up?"

Aeryn looked at John sympathetically and said, "I'm sorry John. I wanted to let you sleep, but Lorana insisted you see the latest reports on the Scarrens. It seems they took out a small, but important Peacekeeper base about an arn ago."

John groaned dramatically. "It's a conspiracy, I tell ya. Damn Jurassic Park rejects are trying to ruin my life. It's like every time I get a chance to sleep, they do something. How do they know?"

Aeryn placed her hand on John's shoulder in mock sympathy, "I think you're right. This whole invasion is all one big plot to ruin your sleep cycle. The Scarrens must have a spy on board that tells them whenever you try to sleep."

John laughed and then grinned for the first time since waking up. "I think you may be right Aeryn. I'm gonna get Juli to start looking for spies right now."

To Aeryn's surprise, John wasn't kidding. Shouting across the room to where Juli was currently talking to Lieutenant Vin, he said, "Hey Juli! Come here! I got a job for you."

Aeryn looked at John bewilderedly and then smiled at his boyish attitude. Despite his claims to the contrary, he seemed to be functioning just fine.

Juli broke off her conversation with the _Kraylor's_ tactical officer and walked briskly towards them. "Yes, John?"

John grinned widely. "Aeryn tells me that she thinks there are Scarren spies on board. She wanted to tell you but she was too embarrassed to say anything." John then leaned closer and whispered conspiratorially, "I think she's afraid you'll think she's nuts."

John moved back to his previous spot and glanced over at Aeryn. He couldn't help but laugh when he saw the shocked look on her face. Coming out of her daze, Aeryn smacked John on the arm and said, "You-you liar! I did not say that."

John started laughing loudly, and after seeing the expression on Aeryn's face, Juli started laughing as well. Aeryn's facial expression went from surprise to consternation. She repeated, "I did not say that." Aeryn was about to leave the two in a huff when she saw the sparkle in John's eye. 

Realization dawned on her and she smacked John again. While he was rubbing his arm, she said, "Ok, I get it John. We're even now for me waking you up. You can shut up now."

John merely grinned and said to Juli, "I was just yankin' Aeryn's chain. No need to go huntin' Scarrens."

Juli snorted at the obvious comment and just shook her head at John's attitude. A thoughtful look came over Juli's face and she remarked, "Actually John, it may not be such a bad idea to do a little checking of the crew."

John's face grew anxious and he asked, "Is that really necessary? I was only joking. I don't really think there are any Scarren spies on board."

Juli shrugged her shoulders. "Neither do I John, but Scarren spies are not the ones I'm worried about. I know that Lorana claims everyone in her crew is loyal to you and the Rystalva, but I find it very hard to believe that none of them still feel loyal to the Peacekeepers. I think it would be a mistake to follow that assumption."

"Juli's right John. There are thousands of former Peacekeepers aboard this ship. At least one of them has to feel that what we're doing here is not right. And it only takes one to be a disruption," Aeryn added helpfully.

John sighed and rubbed his hand across his face wearily. "Fine. Do what you think needs to be done. But I don't want a Spanish Inquisition, ok? Keep it simple and low profile."

Both Juli and Aeryn had no idea what a Spanish Inquisition was and so Aeryn asked haltingly, "Span-–ish In-–qui-sition?" Aeryn had to form the strange words carefully.

John groaned in frustration and explained, "A few hundred years, uh...cycles, ago back on Earth, the Catholic Church in Spain decided that all people who didn't believe what they told them to believe were bad and deserved to die. So they rounded up anybody who they suspected of being a heretic, and killed them. It was just an excuse for the Church to get more power. I don't want that here. Before you do anything to anybody, I want to see irrefutable proof that they're guilty of what you say they're guilty of."

Juli looked offended. "Of course John. I am not some Peacekeeper who decides the fates of others on a whim. If I accuse someone of being a spy, then they are a spy. I do not make mistakes."

"I know you don't Juli. Just be careful ok?"

"Of course John." Juli paused and then added, "Actually, I should have done this monens ago when we first broke away from the Peacekeepers. If there is a spy or spies on board, there's no telling how much damage they have caused since then."

Aeryn said to Juli, "I'd be more than happy to help. This planning and thinking is making me feel restless. I could use a little action or else I'll go farbot."

Juli smiled brightly at Aeryn. "Great! I could use your help." Her smile dimmed somewhat and she added, "Unfortunately, we'll have to wait to get started until tomorrow. I still have to discuss our operational readiness with Lieutenant Vin, go over our security preparations both here and down on the planet, and a council of the Primes has been called for later today."

John perked up at that. In surprise he belted out, "What? When? I didn't order that."

In a reasonable tone Juli responded, "I know John. Toben ordered it after hearing about the Scarrens latest attacks. You were unavailable and he didn't think you would mind."

John calmed noticeably and said quietly, "Not really. It just caught me by surprise, that's all."

Juli nodded her head, but didn't say anything. John sighed and said, "Tell Toben to go ahead. And you go do what you have to do too. I think I'm going to head to my quarters and take a shower. Try to wash these cobwebs out of my head."

Juli recognized John's word as a dismissal and walked back to resume her conversation with Lieutenant Vin. Aeryn looked like she was going to leave as well, when John cocked his head to the side and looked at Aeryn with a secret smile on his face. "Wanna come?"

Aeryn glared at John and spoke in a brusque tone. "I am not going to shower with you John."

John looked at Aeryn in mock surprise and said, "Who said anything about showering with me? I just wanted you to walk me to my quarters so that I could talk to you. Sheesh! Get your mind out of the gutter Aeryn."

Aeryn blushed scarlet and said flusteredly, "I-I-I thought you meant..." Aeryn then saw a wide smile form on John's face and she growled at him, "Oh frell you!"

John laughed and started to walk toward the door leading out of the operations room. Over his shoulder he shouted, "That's the idea Aeryn!"

He then turned his head back around and sauntered cockily out the door. If he had turned around he would have seen the even bigger blush creep over Aeryn's features. 

  
  


John walked down the passageways of the command carrier with a spring in his step and a jaunty tune on his lips. "When Johnny comes marching home again, Hurrah! Hurrah!" He repeated the line as he continued on his way to his quarters. Despite his previous claims to the contrary, he really did feel rejuvenated. That little catnap had done wonders for his energy level. He was really only taking the shower because he needed one, not because he expected it to wake him up.

He had learned long ago, even before the war had broken out on Rystal, to adjust his sleep cycle so that he could reap the maximum benefits with minimum effort. Sure he loved to sleep, who didn't, but he didn't need it as much as he used to. The Uncharted Territories made sure of that.

John grinned when he saw the weird looks on two crewmen's faces when he passed them on the way to his quarters. So what if he was singing quietly to himself. Did that make him crazy? Of course not. That just made him John Crichton.

John grinned even wider when he heard the sudden appearance of heavy footfalls walking next to him. John looked over to the newcomer and flashed him a wild grin. John slapped the leather clad being on the back and said enthusiastically, "Harvey! So good to see you man. I was wonderin' when you were going to show up."

The two stopped at a lift and waited for the elevator like transport to arrive. Harvey said disdainfully, "I would have arrived sooner, but as usual, you had to participate in that useless banter with Officer Sun."

John stepped into the lift and Harvey followed him in. The lift closed and with a lurch took off in the direction of John's private quarters. John turned around to face Harvey and said, "Useless to you maybe, but us normal folks actually communicate through methods other than crazy voices in their heads."

Harvey snorted. "Honestly John, I don't know why you waste your time with her. It has been more than three cycles and you have yet to connect on any meaningful level with her."

John grinned and said, "Two words Harv. Leather pants."

The lift stopped and John walked out the open door. Harvey frowned at John's response and followed him out. John sobered slightly and said, "Seriously though, if it wasn't for Aeryn I'd be rotting in some Peacekeeper prison or end up some vegetable drooling all over myself."

Harvey pointed out, "If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be in your head to begin with."

John shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows? Maybe you would have, maybe not. Either way, it doesn't matter. While I regret what happened, I'll never regret saving her life. She means more to me than anything."

"Then why do you refuse to accept her. She obviously wants to join in a relationship with you but you constantly rebuff her. You are a very confusing individual, John."

John laughed and said incredulously, "Harv, are you trying to give me relationship advice?" Harvey didn't respond. John continued, "My relationship with Aeryn is...complicated and lets leave it at that."

The two finally reached John's quarters and John turned to face Harvey. "All right Harv, this is where you get off the John Crichton Express." Harvey started protesting but John just ignored him. John punched in the code to his room and opened the door. Before the door could close he shouted out to Harvey, "Call me! We'll do lunch!" The door then closed and John moved further into his spacious quarters.

John smiled when he stopped to do a quick once over of his quarters. There were some benefits to being the man in charge, and the most spacious, not to mention luxurious (by Peacekeeper standards of course), private quarters on the ship were one of those benefits. 

Obviously, Peacekeepers were not known for their decorating prowess, but John had brought enough of his own belongings from Moya to at least dull the stark image created by the room's bleak black and red color tones. It would never be as personal as his own home on Earth, or as homey as his cell on Moya, but it would do for what he needed it to be. A place to sleep, and on the rare occasion where he had enough time, to live in. 

John's smile faltered slightly after that thought, but quickly shook it off. Optimism was John's watchword of the day. As long as he didn't let things bother him, they would stop having power over him. Yep, hope was what John clung too. Everyday he lost more of it, and everyday he clung to what he had left like a thirsty man clinging to his last cup of water. 

John began taking off his clothes as he walked to the shower unit in the rear of his quarters. As he did, he walked past a table that was glowing a bright white. John continued walking, and then suddenly stopped, turning back around to stare at the table. What the hell!? Tables are not supposed to glow, John thought.

John spoke out loud, "Am I going nuts or is that table glowing?"

D'argo, who was sitting in a chair sharpening his Qualta blade, said eagerly, "Do you want me to kill it? I can kill it if you want."

John looked at D'argo like he was insane. Kill a table? Not even I'm that crazy John thought humorously. John started to respond but Pilot cut him off. "Maybe its trying to communicate with you. Perhaps you should talk to it Commander Crichton."

John spun around and shot Pilot an incredulous look. "It's a freakin table! How the hell am I suppose to talk to a table?"

Pilot attempted to perform a shrug, moving his four arms in a upward motion, but all he managed to accomplish was knocking a lamp over. John laughed at seeing Pilot trying to do a human gesture, and wondered how in the hell he had missed his massive frame until now.

John turned away from Pilot to face Chiana who was lying suggestively on a couch. John raised his eyebrows and Chiana smiled at him and then shifted her position on his couch-like furniture. With her usual feline grace, Chiana contorted her body into a shape that boggled John's mind. John shook his head at the sight and refocused back on the glowing table.

Stark, who was pacing nervously in front of the door, said in a high pitched, agitated tone, "We should leave it alone! Don't know what it does." He then began mumbling over and over again, "We should run. We should run. We..."

After Stark repeated his crazed litany for the fourth time, John tuned him out. Running would prevent him from figuring out what was going on. John's curiosity was getting the better of him and he really wanted to know why the table was glowing. He just felt like it was really important that he knew, and the closer he got, the more intense that feeling became.

He took a couple hesitant steps forward, and the light grew in intensity. It was almost reaching the point where it would blind John if he stared at it for too long. John stopped his advance and asked for the opinion of the last occupant of the room he had yet to talk to. "Yo Buckwheat! What do you think I should do?"

Rygel voiced his thoughts, despite the fact that he was rapidly stuffing as many marjoules into his mouth as possible. "As dominar of over 600 billion subjects, I feel I am uniquely qualified to answer your question. I suggest you stop worrying about the frelling table and get me more marjoules!"

John said sarcastically, "Thanks for the advice Sparky." John glanced at each of the five aliens, trying to decide which one had made the best argument. Deciding that all five didn't know what the hell they were talking about, John shrugged his shoulders and took off his shirt. Using the shirt as a primitive shield, John carefully moved closer to table.

Like before, the light grew in intensity the closer John got. As John moved closer, he heard Chiana say, "You know John, that table looks like a good place to frell. Maybe you and I could...?"

John cut her off, "Not now Pip!"

John was almost within reach of the glowing table when D'argo's large Qualta blade came slicing through the air and impacted into the table. John yelped in surprise, the blade had come perilously close to taking off his arm as well as the table, and scrambled away from D'argo. Once he had settled into his new spot, he noticed that whatever D'argo had done had extinguished the light.

D'argo dug his blade out of the wood and smiled proudly at John. "See, I killed it. No more table, no more light." D'argo's proud smile changed into a smug one and he said, "I told you I could kill it."

John just stared at D'argo in disbelief and then collapsed to his knees and began frantically searching through the debris of the destroyed table. He had to find the thing that made the table glow. John knew that tables just didn't start glowing on their own, so he knew something else must have been causing the light show. 

After a few tension filled microts, John's hands came into contact with something cold and metallic. Grasping the spherical object in his right hand firmly, John pulled his hand out of the debris and yelled, "Eureka!"

John looked up to notice that Stark, Rygel, Chiana, and D'argo were all gathered around him and were all staring intently at the object in John's hand. John wondered where Pilot was and scanned the room. To John's surprise, Pilot was gone. Oh well, John thought, he was destroying my room anyways. 

John's attentions turned back to the metal tube in his hand and everything else around him faded away. The tube started glowing white and John's eyes glazed over.

John felt himself floating for several microts, and soon thereafter found himself landing, hard, in a grassy meadow. John groaned and picked himself off the ground. As he was wiping the grass and dirt off his clothes, he remembered that he still had the metallic tube that he had picked up back in his quarters.

Speaking of which, John thought apprehensively, where the hell are they? One microt he had been crouching in front of a broken table in his quarters with his friends standing around him, and the next he was in a meadow. A meadow that looked distinctly familiar, like John had seen it before.

That was when the memories came rushing back and John remembered why the meadow he was standing in looked so familiar. It was a meadow he had visited quite a few times during his childhood. Whenever John and his father would go up to their cabin in Maine, they would always drive past a large, green meadow surrounded by large pines. The meadow had been rather famous because of its appeal to some of the local wild life. John remembered that deer liked to frequent the large meadow, and if one was careful, you could stay on the outskirts of the meadow and watch the deer for hours without them ever knowing you were there.

John hadn't been that interested in deer back then, preferring to focus more on astronomy, fishing, and the occasional girl (He had always had a healthy interest in the opposite sex even at such a young age), but he had stopped every once in a while to watch the deer. John had always found them to be fascinating, in a naturally simple kind of way. The deer didn't have to worry about whether or not their father would miss their birthday, or whether or not they got straight A's in the fifth grade. They didn't have to worry about anything except surviving. A rather simple existence.

The meadow brought up memories of his father, and John once again felt the desire to go home. Just once, just to see his father one more time.

The sound of a snapping twig brought John's head up in sudden alarm. He had thought he was alone. Quickly searching the area around him, his eyes landed on the form of a man walking towards him. Surrounding the man was a bright light, covering his face and nearly blinding John with its intensity. John brought his hands up to shield his face and he could hear the man come closer.

John parted his fingers slightly to see the man's feet stop no more than three feet away from him. Gradually the light died down enough so that John could finally see again. Light still covered the man from the shoulders on up, but John thought the man looked familiar. John moved his hands down to his side, his right automatically going to Winona in his holster. To his dismay, Winona was nowhere to be found.

The man noticed John's actions and spoke in his distinct voice, one John recognized instantly. "You do not need your weapon, John."

Hope and surprise meshed in John's voice and he said, "Dad?"

The light finally faded and Jack Crichton smiled sadly at John. "No, John."

John stiffened and he said bitterly, "You're Jack aren't you?"

The alien impersonation of John's father nodded his head. "Yes, John. I am not the real Jack Crichton, just as this is not the real Earth."

"God damnit! Why can't you just leave me the frell alone? Haven't you done enough to me? Why don't you go mess with some other guy to get your jollies." John said angrily.

Jack sighed. "This is not what you think John. This..." Jack stopped talking and moved his arm in a sweeping arc, drawing attention to the meadow. "...is all an illusion. It's not real. Nor am I really talking to you."

John scrunched his face in confusion and asked frustratedly, "What the hell are you talking about?"

Jack paused and took his time to answer. "As you are well aware, the Rotarian battle staff that accompanies you is a very powerful piece of weaponry. However, its sole function is not death and destruction. When handled in the right way, the R'yclava can become a huge storage space for information. It was this function of the R'yclava that I exploited when I imparted the knowledge of wormholes on you four monens ago."

John interrupted, "Hold on a minute here. How do you know when you did that if you're not really talking to me? If you're not here, then this has to be a dream and that would mean you're only a figment of my twisted mind."

"You are both right and wrong, John. This is a dream and I am not really talking to you, but I assure you, I am not a figment of you mind."

John's frustration was clear. "I don't understand."

Jack sighed again. "What I mean is, I am a part of your subconscious. I am not something you made up. A part of me is really inside you mind, just like the necessary equations you need to solve wormholes."

Jack just saw a blank look on John's face in response. Jack tried a different tactic. "Think of me as a very sophisticated, highly complex, message left on one of those primitive devices you use to record communications."

John stared at Jack incredulously, "Are you saying that you're using my brain as a freakin' answering machine!?"

Jack cocked his head to the side and said, "In a way, yes."

John groaned and ran his hand through his short hair. In a self suffering tone, he said, "I cannot believe this is frelling happening to me!"

"I know this is not what you wanted to hear John, but it is of vital importance that you listen to what I tell you. I specifically put this version of myself in your mind to activate itself at a specific time. That time has come and you must do what I tell you."

John groaned again. Was he ever going to get to live in peace? Sighing, he said, "What the hell does the universe want me to do now?"

"It is not the universe that needs your help. It is your father."

John's whole attitude change from one of partial indifference to apt attention. "My father?"

"Yes John, your father. Something will happen to him within the next three months, that unless prevented, will result in his death."

John's face paled and he instantly bristled. "What happens to him?"

Jack shook his head and said, "I'm sorry John, but I can't tell you that. My function is only to warn you of the impending tragedy. You must go to Earth and save your father."

John certainly did not want his father to die, and he would have loved nothing more than to go to Earth and save him, but he had other responsibilities that he could not just shirk. So John waffled, "I-I can't. The Scarrens are on the move and I'm needed here. The people of Rotar need me."

"I had a feeling you would say that, so I programmed myself to show you this image." Jack stopped and then waved his arm. A holographic image suddenly appeared in thin air, right in front of John. The image was of a desolate planet, obviously destroyed by the horrors of war. The planet was gray and brown, pockmarked with massive craters and it was clear no living thing could survive on the planet any longer.

John asked in confusion, "What is this?"

Jack responded soberly, "This is Earth, John. This is what will happen to Earth if you do not save your father."

John's body went numb and he grew nauseated. "H-h-how?"

"The Scarrens. And after destroying Earth, they will partake in a streak of destruction that will leave half the universe in disarray. This cannot be allowed to come to pass."

John cried out plaintively, "But I don't understand! How can not saving my father cause this? How can saving him prevent this? How do you know this?" John started mumbling to himself, "This makes no sense. It's only a dream. It's only..."

Jack sighed. "I can't tell you what you want to know. If I do, I risk doing irreparable harm to this dimension's timeline."

John's draw dropped. "Wait a microt. This dimension?"

"Yes, this dimension. As I'm sure you've already begun to discover on your own, wormholes are capable of moving through not only space and time, but also through different dimensions. There are an infinite number of possibilities that could stem from what you decide to do here today. If you save your father, then the timeline as you and I know it will continue to maintain its current path. However, if you do not save your father, then this timeline will divert drastically into what I just showed you. A different path, a different result." Jack explained. 

John was slowly starting to catch on. "But how do I know that preventing my father from dying will prevent that from happening?"

"You don't. However, the percentage of the timeline staying on its current path is greatly increased by saving your father." Jack acknowledged.

John nodded in understanding. While John still didn't fully understand what Jack was saying, he was beginning to comprehend the underlying concepts. What he needed to know was the why. "But that still doesn't tell me why. Why does saving or not saving my father affect the timeline?"

"I can't tell you that. That would shift the balance in the inverse direction. You must believe that saving your father is important. More important than staying here and worrying about the Scarrens."

John sighed in frustration. "Then what the hell was the whole point of me freeing the Rotarians if you were just going to have me leave them a few months after?"

"Freeing the Rotarians was an important step in your development and it brought the necessary factors in alignment. Your embracing the Rystal legend, discovering the R'yclava, and befriending the Peacekeeper admiral were all necessary steps to ensure you were on the right path." Jack explained in a subdued tone.

John didn't know how to take that. He was quiet for a long time, processing everything that Jack had just told him. After about two minutes, he finally spoke. "So what you're saying is that everything has been predetermined? Fated?"

Jack hesitated with his answer. "Yes and no. Nothing is absolute. I come from a time where all the events that I have brought to your attention have already come to pass. However, that does not mean that you are devoid of free will. Do you make the choices that I tell you to make? Yes, but _you_ decide to do with your life what you will. I can not make you do anything, only guide you."

Jack again paused and then continued reluctantly, "If you decide to not follow my advice, then that is fine. That is a decision that you have made, and there is nothing I can or will do to change that. However, doing so may change the path this dimension takes in ways that you cannot predict." 

John mulled over everything Jack had just told him. As he did, a sickening feeling began to form in his stomach. "How do the Scarrens even know where Earth is?" When Jack didn't answer right away, John said softly, "Its because of me isn't it?"

Jack nodded stiffly. "Unfortunately, yes. Somehow, they managed to acquire the memories that Scorpius extracted from your mind and calculate Earth's position. Eventually, they send a battle fleet to eradicate the planet and all its inhabitants. Unfortunately, that's all I know. Details on these events are unclear."

John croaked out, "Why?"

"Why do they attack?" Jack asked. John nodded his head in response. Jack sighed and said, "Evolution, John. Scarrens believe in the natural superiority of their species and all other life forms are seen as a threat to that superiority."

"But why Earth? We're no threat to them. We can't even leave our own solar system!"

Jack shook his head sadly. "You're forgetting one important thing John. Humans are not as physiologically advanced as most other species, they are not as technologically advanced, and they are not as intelligent, but they do possess a quality that gives them the potential to be an eventual threat to the Scarrens."

John did not understand. Jack saw his confusion and enlightened him, "Unlike Sebaceans, humans do not possess a natural aversion to heat." Sudden clarity dawned in John's eyes. "It may take your species hundreds, if not thousands, of cycles to advance far enough to be any kind of threat against the Scarrens, but you are immune to the one distinct advantage Scarrens have over Sebaceans and that is something they cannot allow to flourish. They will destroy your world as soon as possible, therefore stopping the problem before it arises."

"How does my father factor into this?"

"There is an event in this dimension's eventual future that your father plays a pivotal role in. What he decides to do determines whether or not this path stays consistent with what we know. If he is dead, he will never get the chance to make this decision and the destruction of Earth would seem imminent."

"Ok, I get it. I have to save my father. But I still haven't figured out wormholes yet."

Jack smiled and said, "I know. That's why this message also includes the last bits of data you need to complete the whole picture inside your mind. When you wake up, everything will start to make more sense."

"So that's it huh?" John asked skeptically.

Jack grimaced slightly. "Not quite, John. When you wake up, the things that we have talked about will start to get hazy. You'll remember the central ideas, like saving your father, but the details will fade. Its safer this way. The less you know, the better off you'll be."

"What? I don't want to forget!" John yelled angrily. 

Jack smiled sadly, turned around, and started walking away. Jack spoke one more time, but this time he did so in his own voice. The voice of the Ancient who impersonated John's father. "Goodbye John."

Jack's form quickly retreated, the blinding white light preventing John from following. John could only yell in frustration, "Jack! Jack! Get back here! Jack!..."

And then everything went dark.

  
  


John came to awareness with a start. Someone was shaking him, and they weren't being very gentle about it. Opening his eyes groggily, John saw a very worried Aeryn looking at him in undisguised concern. 

Aeryn's soothing voice washed over him as he came to complete awareness. "John? John? Are you all right?"

John shifted his eyes away from Aeryn to scan his whereabouts. He was back in the operations room, still sitting in the chair he had sat in to just rest for a little while. His eyes turned back to Aeryn and he asked shakingly, "What's going on?"

"You were having a nightmare John. You kept repeating your father's name and you...you were screaming."

John's eyes widened in remembrance and he quickly scrambled out of the chair. John almost knocked Aeryn over in his haste, and Aeryn had to grab him to stop him from falling over. Apparently, the dream had been more intense than he thought.

John started rambling as he looked at Aeryn imploringly, "My father. I have to get to my father Aeryn. I have to go to Earth. Now!"

Aeryn's face was confused. "What? John, you can't. Not now. The Scarrens, remember?"

John shook his head wildly. "No! Don't care about Scarrens. I gotta save my dad! I have to go to Earth Aeryn!"

Aeryn hated seeing John like this. It reminded her of a time when Scorpius had been invading his mind. He was acting crazy and incoherent; he was making even less sense than usual. Desperately trying to understand what John was talking about, Aeryn asked, "Why John? What is wrong with your father?"

John focused his blue eyes on Aeryn's gray ones and said, "Aeryn, if I don't go to Earth my father will die." 

Next time on Farscape: John must convince every one that he needs to leave for Earth. And when the crew on Moya hear of John's plans, they demand going as well. 


End file.
